2021 USDA NASS Cash Rent Report Available

Sep 27, 2021

Each year, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a nationwide survey to gather data and compile a report showing average cash rental rates across the United States.

To view the database with the data for each state, click here. To view the database with data for each county in the US, click here. To view the report for Texas, broken down by region and county, click here. Please note that all reported cash rent amounts are listed in a per acre/per year format.

Here’s how things broke down in the Lone Star State. To see the average lease rates for your county in Texas, click here.

Pastureland

The highest pastureland rental rates were reported in Wharton County at $20.50/acre and Falls County at $20.00/acre. The lowest pastureland averages were in Hudspeth and Winkler Counties, reporting $0.40 and $0.90/acre, respectively. The statewide average for Texas came in at $7.10/acre, which is a $$0.10 increase from last year.

Irrigated Cropland

The highest average reported rate for irrigated cropland was $153.00/acre in Sherman County. The lowest reported rate for irrigated cropland came from Carson County at $38.50/acre. The statewide average for Texas was $100/acre, up $5.00/acre from last year.

Non-Irrigated Cropland

The highest reported average rental rate for non-irrigated cropland is found in San Patricio County at $78.50/acre, followed by Nueces County at $67.00/acre. The lowest reported rates were in Sutton County at $5.60/acre and Kendall County at $7.60/acre. The statewide average was reported at $30.00/acre and remained unchanged from 2020.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.